Until My Dying Day
by goldgirlbomb
Summary: Ami Fujioko is just a normal college student until she finds out she's the prime minister's daughter! Her childhood friend, Kaiji, becomes her bodyguard, and Ami begins to feel something knew for him. But with her father's pending foreign policies, Ami's
1. Chapter 1

Ami sighed as she leaned back in her chair, closing her laptop in front of her. It had been a hectic few weeks and she was glad to have some quiet time to herself. The house was silent for the first time in days, and she was glad to take the time to enjoy the peace and quiet. Closing her eyes and stretching, she thought back over the past few weeks.

She'd found out that her father was the prime minister, and her world had been turned around almost overnight. She'd been on her own since her grandmother had passed away while she was in high school, and finding out that her father was still alive had given her new hope. He'd managed to track her down through some of his connections, and they'd had quite the tearful reunion. She smiled as she remembered how he had told her that she looked like her mother, the two of them hugging one another. She'd never met her mother, as she had passed away shortly after having given birth to her, so she took solace in what he'd said.

She had decided that she would take a semester off from college in order to spend more time with her father, and to get her own life in order. She was ahead in her classes anyway, so she knew she wouldn't have any problems with graduating on time. She was technically only a sophomore, but with as many credits she had acquired during high school, she was listed as a first semester senior. Taking some time off for herself wouldn't affect that she'd concluded when she had initially turned in the proper forms.

Ami heard a knock on the door and straightened in her chair. "Yes?"

Kaiji peered his head inside the room. "Dinner's almost ready."

"Thanks, I'll be right down." She replied. Kaiji nodded and closed the door, shuffling down the hall.

The other good thing that had happened to her in these past few weeks was that she'd been reunited with Kaiji, her childhood friend. It had been so many years since she'd seen him, so long that for a while, she'd feared that she would never see him again. He'd one of her only friends growing up, and when she and her grandmother had moved, she'd been devastated at losing him. But when she had reunited with her father, he had informed her that due to the nature of his work and some precarious threats that had been made against him, and now to an extension to her as well, she would be required to have a bodyguard with her.

That was when she had seen him. He was much older now and, she had to admit to herself, was much more handsome then she'd last remembered him. She almost hadn't recognized him at first, but when he'd seen her, his eyes lit up and had reintroduced himself to her. He was much taller too, towering over her by at least a foot or two. But he still had that teasing look in his eye that she knew so well, and had been thrilled to see him. He became her bodyguard that day, and she was glad to have someone she knew, and still trusted even after all of these years, to be protecting her.

Initially, she hadn't seen the point in having a bodyguard, as she didn't think she would be the one who would be targeted if something were to happen. But she'd gone along with it, as her father had insisted that she have one around just in case. She'd stayed with her father at his residence for a while, Kaiji staying close by, as she enjoyed spending some much needed time with her father. But after her father had received a threat from one of the terrorist groups out to destroy him, threatening to kidnap her, Kaiji had taken her to live with him at his house with his three sisters.

It had been so long since she's seen his sisters, that she had almost forgotten how caddy and loud the three girls were. When Kaiji had first brought her to his house, his sisters had been in her face with questions, about where she'd been all these years, why she was there now. They'd also thrown in a few questions about when she would be their sister-in-law. Even when she was little, Ami could remember them asking her that every time they saw her and Kaiji together. Although Kaiji had appeared embarrassed by them asking Ami those types of questions, it brought a smile to her face. They still teased their little brother shamelessly, that much hadn't changed at least. Though strange, it made her feel at ease with them, and made her feel at home with all of them.

They'd taken her under their wing and, even though she was to stay there anyway, had insisted that she live with them, upon hearing everything that had happened with her father and all of the threats. After a few days there, Ami realized that she enjoyed living there with them. Kaiji constantly would apologize to her about his sisters behavior, their loud and nosy ways, but it didn't bother Ami. She'd never really known what it was like to have a family like that, so it made her happy to be apart of one now. Even if it was just temporary.

During her time there with them, she'd enjoyed spending time with Kaiji. His personality hadn't changed much from when they were kids, as he still loved teasing her to no end as if no time had passed at all. They spent a lot of time at his house, as it was the safest place for her at the time, so they'd spent a lot of time talking to each other. They caught up on all the years they'd missed out on in each other's lives. Even though so much time had passed, she found it so easy to talk to him about anything. She had always loved that about him. She'd told him about her grandmother's passing, college, and all the other things she could think of. He'd told her about going to college briefly himself, becoming a bodyguard, his judo, and how good he had gotten over the years. She believed him, as his sisters had begged her to watch some of their home videos with them, and she had seen some of his matches that they had taped. He was extremely good, from what she'd seen. He'd been mortified when he'd found out that she'd seen their home videos, and she'd laughed as she watched him chase his sisters around the house, yelling at them for sharing those.

Ami stretched out once again and stood up, making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Even from the staircase she could hear his sisters talking loudly, blaring music as they helped prepare dinner. She smiled as she heard the three of them chatting away, giggling about some guy they'd seen at the mall the day before. She shook her head as she quietly grabbed some plates, setting them out on the table for everyone. Once all of their plates were full of food, they sat down at the table together and began eating. Ami was sitting next to Kaiji, where she usually sat, with his sisters on the other side of her.

Kaiji looked up at Ami. "Have you talked to your dad today?"

Ami nodded. "Yeah, a few hours ago. He said he had to go out of town for a week, and that he'd seen me when he got back."

Kaiji nodded thoughtfully. "I'm assuming he told you about the Election Ball you have to attend?"

Ami sighed. "Unfortunately."

When she'd spoken to her father, he'd told her of the Election Ball that the country had once a year. Most of the people who attended were politicians or wealthy businessmen, and were all expected to attend, including her father. It was a very well-to-do event, and from her father's description of it, sounded more and more like a more elegant version of the prom. He'd told her that due to his business trip, which he explained was unavoidable, that she would have to take his place. She didn't want to go, as those kinds of parties just weren't her forte, but her father had said that she needed to go for him, so she had reluctantly agreed to attend.

Kaiji smiled. "Don't worry, I'm going with you, so you won't have to suffer through it alone."

"You are?"

"Of course. I'll be there to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don't get fed to the wolves." Kaiji winked at her teasingly. Ami sighed a little sigh of relief. At least Kaiji would be there with her so she wouldn't have to be there all alone.

"You're going to a party?" Momoko piped in, sounding excited.

Ami nodded and Sakurako squealed. "Oh my god! You _have _to let us help you get ready!"

Nadeshiko pulled at Ami's arm excitedly. "I have the _perfect_ dress for you to wear!"

Ami blushed. "You wouldn't mind me wearing it? I'm afraid I don't have anything really nice with me that I could wear to it. And it's supposed to be a really formal event."

"Not at all! It'll look so beautiful on you that even Kaiji won't be able to keep his hands off of you!" She replied happily.

Kaiji choked on his water and spat it out, his face flushing red. "Would you three cut that out already?" The three girls giggled and got up from the table, talking excitedly about their plans for Ami's wardrobe as they went upstairs to their rooms.

Ami looked over at Kaiji, who was still slightly red as he kept his gaze firmly on his plate. "I'm sorry my sisters keep saying weird stuff like that to you."

Ami laughed, taking her plate and Kaiji's plate as she headed to the kitchen. "It's ok. It's nice to have them around actually. They're a lot to handle sometimes, but they mean well."

Kaiji grabbed some of the plates in the sink and began washing them, with Ami taking them from him to dry off and placing them in their proper places. He bumped his hip into hers as he handed a plate over to her, smiling down at her. She bumped her hip back, and before she knew it, the two of them started splashing each other with the soapy water, laughing like a bunch of kids.

Ami stepped back, giggling as she splashed Kaiji once again with some water, and stepped right into a puddle of water. Her foot went from underneath her, and started to fall back, but felt Kaiji's arm around her waist, keeping her from falling. He held her there for a moment, their eyes locked on one another. Her heart pounded in her chest as his arm tightened around her waist, a serious expression on his face.

Kaiji abruptly released her and cleared his throat. "Don't trip and hurt yourself ya big klutz."

Ami spun to face the sink again, tucking a piece of fallen hair behind her ear. "Sorry! Thank you though."

"You're welcome, just be more careful next time." He replied, immersing his hands back into the soapy water to retrieve another dirty dish.

Glancing over at him as he washed the dish dutifully, Ami felt her cheeks burn. What was this that she was feeling with him? She'd been feeling this way more and more around him lately, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on the feeling. She'd never felt it before with anyone else, so she wasn't sure exactly what it was. He was her childhood friend, that much she knew. She also knew that he'd somehow become one of the most important people to her in her life, whether she liked it or not. Seeing him every morning always made her day, and his smile always seemed to make her heart skip a beat. She didn't have much, ok no, experience with men, so she had no idea what she was suddenly starting to feel. What does that all mean?


	2. Chapter 2

"You look so pretty Ami!" Momoko exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

It was the following day, the day of the Election Ball, and Kaiji's sisters had spent most of the afternoon giving Ami a makeover. They'd woken her up that morning, saying that they wanted to get a head start on getting her ready, even though the even wasn't until later that night. Ami had sleepily agreed and had gone along with the sister's demands. Being an only child, Ami secretly loved having his sister's fuss over her so, doing her hair, her makeup, things that sisters did for one another.

They spun her around her in chair to face the mirror, and Ami's eyes widened. She leaned in towards the mirror, unsure of whether the image in front of her was really herself. She looked completely different. Her hair was curled and pinned into a half up-do, and the curls tumbled down past her shoulders. They'd painted her lips a light red shade that Ami thought looked really pretty against her lighter hair color. She felt like a movie star as she looked at her reflection.

Sakurako squealed. "I think she likes it! She's going to be the belle of the ball!"

"Now for the dress!" Nadeshiko said, pulling a long red dress from the closet and handed it over to Ami. Ami looked down at the long, flowy dress in her arms. It was so pretty that Ami couldn't help but tear up.

"What's wrong? You don't like it?" Nadeshiko asked, her voice sounding concerned.

Ami shook her head. "No, I love it!"

Sakurako tilted her head at Ami. "Then what's wrong dear?"

Ami smiled. "It's nothing, sorry! You guys are just being so nice to me." The three sisters exchanged glances with one another and smiled.

"It's what sisters do. Now don't tear up! You'll ruin all that makeup on!" Momoko scolded.

"Go put that dress on!" Sakurako said, standing Ami up and pushing her towards the bathroom.

Ami closed the door behind her and tossed the robe she'd been wearing into the hamper. She looked up at the window, seeing that it was starting to get dark outside. Time certainly had flown with those three. Ami checked her phone quickly, seeing that it would be time soon for her and Kaiji to leave. Taking the dress off its hanger, she looked at it for a brief moment. She had no idea where the sister's had gotten the dress, or for what they had worn it to, but she didn't care.

She stepped into the dress and pulled it up. It really was a gorgeous dress. The dark red material flowed down to the ground, embellished around the middle with intricate stones. She just hoped she did the dress justice. It was a strapless dress, and Ami pulled the sweetheart neckline up, adjusting herself as she finally finished pulling the dress on. It was a perfect fit, and Ami hoped that it looked alright. Taking in a deep breath, she opened the door, stepping back out into the other room.

The three sisters, who had been chatting elatedly with one another, turned to look at her and ceased their conversation. Their mouths gaped open, smiles licking the corner of their lips as Ami stepped forward into the room. Under their glares, Ami suddenly felt embarrassed, and gazed down at the ground.

"I hope I don't look too bad in it." She whispered shyly.

"Are you _kidding_?! You look fantastic!" Momoko shrieked, pulling Ami towards the mirror. The dress certainly was spectacular, and Ami had to admit that she did look pretty good in it. She barely recognized herself as she stared at her reflection.

"You look like a movie star!" Nadeshiko exclaimed, coming forward and wrapping a necklace around her neck. It too was beautiful, and seemed to compliment the dress perfectly. At the same time, Momoko came forward, holding a pair of small, strapless heels out to Ami. Ami smiled, taking them graciously from her, and putting them quickly on her feet.

Ami turned to the sisters. "Thank you so much for this. I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me."

Sakurako patted her on the back gently. "We loved helping! Good luck at the party tonight!"

A knock came from the door, and Kaiji's voice came from the other side. "Ami? Are you ready yet? It's time for us to leave."

"She's ready now, you can come in Kaiji!" Nadeshiko called out to her brother.

Kaiji slowly opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks when his eyes met Ami's, and Ami felt her cheeks burn as he stared at her. He himself was wearing a rather impressive looking tuxedo, and Ami couldn't help but to think how handsome he looked. Kaiji continued to stare at her, seeming to be unable to form words as Momoko went over to him. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he shook his head, as if to awaken himself from some sort of daze.

"Let's… let's go." He said curtly, clearing his throat as he opened the door for her. Ami thanked his sisters again and stepped past him. She grabbed her hand bag and they headed towards the car outside.

The car ride over was awkwardly silent, with Kaiji's gaze placed firmly on the traffic in front of him. Ami couldn't help but to glance over at him. He looked so mature wearing a tux that she couldn't help but giggle, but he didn't seem to notice. When they finally arrived, they pulled to the front of the building, which looked like a large banquet hall. Kaiji got out of the driver's side and tossed his keys to the parking attendant, and ran around to the other side, and opened Ami's door for her. She smiled warmly at him as he helped her out of the car, and the two began making their way towards the entrance.

"It's supposed to be pretty crowded here tonight, so just stay close to me. Alright? The other guys aren't going to be here tonight, just me. They didn't want it to be too suspicious looking for there to be so many people guarding you at such an event." Kaiji said as he adjusted his jacket. Ami nodded her head in understanding.

"I hope I look alright for tonight. I hope I wore the right kind of dress." Ami fused quietly as she walked next to Kaiji, feeling quite self conscious as she began seeing some of the other women in their elegant gowns.

Kaiji suddenly grabbed her arm, and Ami turned to look at him. "What's the matter?"

He smiled. "Don't worry, you look beautiful." Ami felt her cheeks flame as she smiled at him shyly. He held out an arm to her, and she linked her arm with his, walking into the ball.


	3. Chapter 3

"You've done really well so far." Kaiji whispered to Ami as they made their way through the crowd.

Ami had spent the past hour mingling with some of the other guests, all of whom knew her father. She'd managed to hold her own when they got into topics of politics and asking her opinions on certain issues. She had always loved reading the newspaper in the morning when she was growing up, and had a special fondness for the politics section. Her grandmother used to laugh at her, always joking about how special of a girl she was for reading up on politics at such a young age. Little had Ami known that politics had just been in her veins all along. Kaiji loomed nearby as she chatted with the other guests, and finally, upon seeing Ami's exacerbated expression, whisked her away towards the bar.

He ordered them drinks and handed one to her, leaning slightly against the bar. "I didn't know you were so into politics."

Ami shrugged. "It interested me growing up, so I read a lot about it."

Kaiji smiled, taking a sip from his drink. "I'm impressed."

"I'm just full of surprises." Ami teased, sipping politely at her drink.

"I can see that."

Ami looked up to see a man began making his way towards them, a smile on his face. Ami leaned towards Kaiji quickly, nodding his head towards the gentleman. "Who's that?"

Kaiji looked to the man she'd indicated. "That would be Haku Takahashi. He's one of your father's foreign ambassadors."

Ami sighed. "Back to work." Kaiji smiled down at her, winking discreetly as he stepped away to allow Ami to chat with the ambassador.

The ambassador came up to Ami with a smile and stuck his hand out to hers. "You must be the prime minister's daughter. I've heard a lot about you tonight. I'm Haku Takahashi." Ami shook hands with him with a smile. He didn't look to be much older than herself, at least not by more than a few years. He was a rather tall man, almost as tall as Kaiji, and peered down at her with a grin.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Takahashi. I'm Ami Fujioko." She replied politely.

"Please, call me Haku." He said, leaning against the bar next to her.

"Alright, Haku. This is quite the nice party."

Haku laughed. "Yes it is. It's not really my thing though. I've never been too comfortable at these events."

Ami smiled. "I'm still getting used to them myself."

"So what is it that you think about your father's new foreign policies? I hear that he's planning to announce them soon."

"I think that they're quite fair. I do not know all of them myself, as he tries not to tell me too much about that sort of thing, but from what I have heard, I think they will do a lot of good for this country."

Haku raised an eyebrow curiously at her. "What makes you say that?"

"This country just could use a little more order when it comes to issues such as terrorism, and I think my father has come up with a splendid plan to help to do with things such as that."

"You know, you're quite intelligent for the prime minister's daughter."

Ami knitted her brows. "Are you suggesting that as the prime minister's daughter, I am supposed to be dim-witted about what goes on in my own country?"

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way, I apologize if I offended you. I just meant that you seem very intelligent."

Ami straightened herself. "I apologize, I shouldn't have snapped at you in that way."

"No, no, I had that one coming. I should know better than to insult someone as radiant as you." Haku laughed, stepping in closer towards Ami. He continued to lean into the counter next to her, but edged closer to her until he was uncomfortably close to her.

Ami laughed uncomfortably. "I'm not that radiant I assure you."

"Oh but you are my dear. You easily outshine the other women here."

"You seem very… young, to be an ambassador." Ami quickly changed the subject.

Haku smiled at her. "Yes well I was just very lucky to have been given this position. Your father has been very kind to me." The music that had been playing gently in the background picked up its tempo and began to play more loudly. Haku took the drink that Ami had been holding in her hands and placed it on the bar next to his. He then held out his hand to her and smiled.

"And I hope you will very kind to me by dancing with me." Haku said, beaming confidence as he took her hand in his without her saying a word, and leading her towards the dance floor. Ami glanced over her shoulder at Kaiji, who had been standing nearby, and saw that he was staring daggers at them. Ami swallowed thickly.

Haku led them out into the middle of the dance floor, with all of the other couples, and pulled her into him. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and held her hand firmly with the other. He then began twirling them about, dancing in tempo with the music. Ami wasn't a very good dancer, and found herself struggling to keep up with him. She was quite unused to the dancing that Haku was trying to do, and tried desperately not to fall. She became quite embarrassed when she tripped, and Haku had to hold her up.

He smiled down at her, as the hand on her waist drew little circles lazily against her back. "You're really a terrific dancer."

She felt her face flush with the movements of his hand. "Y-You're just saying that so I'm not embarrassed that I tripped."

Haku leaned forward, pressing his cheek against hers. "I mean it. A beautiful lady such as yourself just seems to float naturally around the dance floor." He whispered into her ear. Ami wasn't sure as to how to get herself out of this situation she now found herself in, with Haku's hand traveling up and down her back. She didn't like him touching her in that way, but wasn't sure how to tell him that without offending her father's foreign ambassador.

"I'd like to cut in now." A voice sounded from behind her. Haku looked up at the person behind them. He stopped swaying Ami about and smiled. He lifted her hand up and pressed a quick kiss to it.

"It was a pleasure Ami." He said politely, before turning on his heel and retreating. Ami spun around to see Kaiji standing behind her.

"Kaiji…" She whispered as he came forward and grabbed her waist, pulling her up against him. He took her other hand, as Haku had, and began dancing with her. Unlike Haku, he didn't seem to want to try to impress her with his dancing, but just held her securely against him as he merely swayed to the music that now played gently in the background.

Ami looked up at Kaiji. "Thank you for that."

"You shouldn't have let him do that."

"Well one he didn't really give me a choice, and two I didn't want to appear rude."

Kaiji looked down at her sternly. "Stay away from him. I don't like him."

"W-Why?"

"I just don't. I don't like the way that he was looking at you. And touching you like that." Kaiji averted his eyes from her.

"What do you…?" Ami started, but her sentence was cut short when there was a loud crashing noise that came from the entrance. Before Ami could question what the noise was, a few shots rang out that she knew instantly were gun shots. Panic quickly ensued as people began screaming and running, pushing one another out of the way as they made their way towards the exits. Kaiji reacted instantly, pulling Ami with him towards one of the exits. More screaming erupted when men, all of whom were carrying weapons, surrounded the room and prevented people from leaving. They were all trapped.

"Miss Fujioko! Oh Miss Fujioko! Where are you?" A voice boomed out.


	4. Chapter 4

"Miss Fujioko! Come on out!" The voice boomed again. Ami felt Kaiji hug her more tightly into his chest as the voice called for her. Everyone around her continued to panic, trying to find a way to escape. But the men had the room surrounded, and effectively held everyone in the room hostage. Ami vaguely felt afraid as she watched the panic ensue, but more importantly, she was angry. Who the hell were these people?

A man stepped up onto one of the tables. He was rather short and his face looked quite young, and had Ami not known any better, she would've easily mistaken him for a young boy. He stood confidently, holding a rifle to his side as he smiled at the crowd. He had to be the leader, Ami assumed as he barked a few orders at some of his men. He then cleared his throat and held his arms behind his back.

"Miss Fujioko! We seem to have a little problem here," He said, scanning the crowd, "see I need to take you with me for a little while, but I can't seem to find you." He laughed and shrugged his shoulders dramatically.

"Just stay still and he won't find you in this crowd. I'll figure something out." Kaiji whispered to her as he released her to pull her along behind him in the crowd. As he pulled her along, a gun popped off a few shots and everyone began screaming again.

"Everyone down!" One of the men by the exits shouted. The group obeyed instantly, crouching down to the ground.

"They took my gun when we went through the security…" Kaiji thought aloud, holding Ami's wrist in his hand as they crouched on the ground together. His hand was warm against her wrist, and even though it was something so small, it comforted Ami as she looked around the crowd, seeing all the terrified faces around her.

The man paced across the long dining room table. "Come on Miss Fujioko. You show yourself and come quietly, because I can't guarantee everyone's safety if you don't. See my men are men of war, they're used to killing things. This is just a big game to them. And they're kind of out of practice." He loaded his rifle and cocked it menacingly, smiling in satisfaction as the crowd of people cowered at the action.

"He's bluffing…" Ami heard Kaiji whisper behind her. Ami looked around at the rest of the people around her, crouching to the floor as the men with the rifles circled around them like vultures circling their prey.

Sighing exaggeratingly, the man jumped down from the table and made his way towards some of the people in the crowd. Before they could get away, he grabbed a hold of one of the women, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her away from the safety of the friends that had been surrounding her. She screamed as he pulled her up onto the table with him. Ami covered her mouth with her hands as she watched the man scan the crowd once again. He pulled a pistol from his pants pocket and held it up, bringing it to the trembling woman's head.

"Do you trust me?" Ami whispered to Kaiji, her eyes trained on the man as he held the gun to the woman.

He gave her a funny look. "Yeah, but what does that…?"

The woman sobbed as the man continued to scan the crowd. "Miss Fujioko, you're trying my patience. I'll give you to the count of five to show yourself, or I'll kill this woman. And then we'll start again with another hostage until you finally show your face." The man loaded his pistol and cocked it.

"One." He said.

"Wait!" Ami screamed and stood up quickly.

"Idiot what are you doing?!" Kaiji whispered fiercely as he continued to hold her wrist in his hand, trying to pull her back to the ground next to him. Ami quickly shook his hand free of her wrist and stepped away from him, looking up at the man.

He looked over at her and smiled. "There you are."

"If I go quietly with you, will you promise me that you won't harm anybody in this room?"

"Ami…" She heard Kaiji say behind her, his voice sounding strained.

The man raised an eyebrow at her. "You trying to bargain now Miss Fujioko?"

Ami glared up at him. "I will do whatever you ask of me, but only if you give me your word that no harm will come to any of these people."

He smiled wickedly down at her. "Fine. You have my word."

He lowered his pistol from the woman's temple, and pushed her back towards her friends. Ami heard her sobbing as her friends gathered her in their arms, watching Ami intently. Nodding and taking in a deep breath, she took a step towards the man. Her legs trembled slightly underneath her, but she forced herself forward. She wasn't going to allow these people to be hurt because of her. They hadn't done anything wrong, and Ami wasn't going to allow them to suffer.

"Please don't do this…" Kaiji said to her as she slowly made her way to the man.

She looked over her shoulder and forced a brave smile at him. "I have to or they'll hurt you and everyone else. I'll be ok, I promise." She turned back around slowly and took a deep breath in.

"Then take me too!" Kaiji shouted as he jumped up next to Ami.

"Kaiji…!"

Kaiji looked up at the man on the table. "Take me as a hostage too then. Two are better than one."

The man laughed and grabbed Ami's arm as he stepped over to her. "Nah, sorry buddy. Invitation only. You'll stay here with everyone else."

He nodded his head and two of the men who had been blocking the exits came forward and restrained Kaiji as he leapt towards Ami. He struggled against their hold, but one of the men took the butt of his rifle and rammed it into Kaiji's stomach, knocking the wind from him. Kaiji coughed as he bent over from the force, trying to snake in a breath as the other man used the butt of the other rifle and slammed it against the side of Kaiji's face, knocking him to the ground.

Ami fought against the man's grip. "You promised me you son of a bitch! You promised you wouldn't hurt anyone! You promised!"

The man smiled, squeezing her arm but looking up at the two men. "Now boys. We've made Miss Fujioko a promise. No rough-housing any more of the guests. Starting now."

He laughed as he began to drag Ami beside him, leading her towards the exit as the other men began to follow behind them, making sure none of the hostages came after them. Ami looked over her shoulder at Kaiji, who was recovering, looking around for her. His eyes met hers, and he jumped up once again. Two of the other hostages came forward and held him back, keeping him from being shot by the other men. Ami's heart wrenched in her chest as she watched him struggle against the other's hold, his eyes filled with fear as he watched them take her away. It was then that she finally faced what it was she'd been feeling for him these past few weeks. As a tear fell down her cheek, she realized that she'd fallen in love with him.

"I'll find you!" He shouted to her. "I'll find you and save you!"

"Kaiji… I'm sorry…" She whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Ami sat back against her chair, staring up at the ceiling. The group of men had taken her away from the banquet hall, loading her into a black van. That was the last thing she saw, as they threw a black sack over her head, and tied her arms behind her back. She figured that they didn't want her to know where it was they were taking her, in case she did manage to escape. She had no idea where they'd taken her, as they only removed the sack over her head after they had her inside of whatever building it was that she was now in. They'd sat her down in a chair, wrapping her bound hands behind the chair, and tied her ankles down to the chair. The leader of the group had told her that they would be calling her father, and they needed her to speak to him when the time came. Then, they left her alone in the room, with guards watching the door from the other side.

Staring up at the ceiling, she thought of her poor father, and what they would ask of him. All because of her. She didn't regret for a minute standing up and giving herself up to them, to protect everyone else at the ball. She knew she wouldn't have changed that in the least, and would do it again if she had to. It was bad enough that they were holding her hostage to threaten her father, she wouldn't have been able to bear it if other people would have gotten hurt in the process. They hadn't told her exactly what it was that they wanted from her father, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they did. She figured it had something to do with his new foreign policies that he's trying to enact, and that was all she needed to know.

She did, however, regret leaving Kaiji alone. The way he'd looked at her when they'd taken her away had almost left a hole in her heart. He just looked purely terrified. And she knew it was not because he was her bodyguard, but it was because he was her friend. As her friend, he was worried about what was going to happen to her. A friend she now realized that she'd managed to fall in love with. She sighed to herself; she didn't know how it had happened. It just sort of did. She mentally kicked herself for it. He was her childhood friend, the closest friend she'd ever had. And now she just had to go and ruin all of that by falling in love with him. But it had just been so easy that Ami couldn't help but laugh to herself. Even when he was a child, he'd always been one of the best people she'd ever known. Kaiji had a heart of gold and a sense of humor that always had a smile on her face, and that part of him had never changed, even after all of these years apart.

She lowered her eyes from the ceiling and looked about the room. She still had no idea where she was, as the room was quite small and plain. The room was lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Wherever it was, it seemed to be fairly old, as the concrete floors beneath her seemed to haven't been cleaned in years. A large ventilation system lined the ceiling on the other side of the room, one of those old metal ones that had stopped working years ago, and now just sat there rusting uselessly. A few chairs were stacked in the corner, as if the room had previously been used as some sort of conference room, but has long since been forgotten. It could have been an old office building, but Ami still didn't have the slightest clue exactly where. There were thousands of old office buildings that were no longer in use in the area. All that mattered to her now was getting the hell out of here.

Fiddling with her arms behind her back, she winced as the rope bit into her skin. She had to get out of here. That much was for sure. Whether someone was coming for her or not, she had to get out of there as soon as she could, before they did something to her father. She twisted her wrists about, squeezing them to see if she could loosen the ropes that bound them. Biting her lips, the ropes continued to rub painfully against her wrists as she twisted and turned them about. She felt the rope loosen just slightly, and she felt hope as she continued. Using her fingers, she pulled the top of the knot in the ropes down, pulling it to where she could try to undo the knot. Her face contorted to several funny positions that she knew would have made hilarious pictures had someone taken a picture of them, as she fiddled with the knot behind her back.

Hearing the doorknob jiggle, she quickly took the knot into the palm of her hand, and turned her hands back around, hiding her progress. The man from before stepped inside, accompanied by the two men who stood outside. He walked slowly over to her, his arms folded behind his back, and a twisted smile plastered to his face. Crouching down in front of her, he flashed his teeth at her in an even broader smile. Oh how much she wished she could slap the smile from his face if she had the chance.

"And how's our pretty little hostage doing?" He purred.

Ami rolled her eyes mentally. "I've been a hell of a lot better."

He chuckled. "Sorry for the accommodations. I'm afraid the Ritz was booked."

"Cut the bullshit. What is it that you want?"

He reached forward and grabbed her chin, squeezing it. "You're quite mouthy for someone who's at the wrong end of the gun."

"What is it that you want?" She repeated, thanking her lucky stars that her voice didn't quiver.

Raising an eyebrow at her, he released her chin. "I need you to call your father. Tell him that you've been taken hostage, and that the only way that we'll release you is if they meet our demands."

"And those would be…?"

"We want him to step down as prime minister. We want to put our own prime minister in his stead."

Ami shook her head. "I'm not going to say that."

He reached forward and grabbed her neck, a little more forcefully than he had grabbed her chin. "You will if you want to live."

"I'd rather die than let you take over my country." She said defiantly. She had no idea what had come over her, and she watched as his eyes widened in surprise at her statement. Initially fearing that he'd be furious at her statement, he instead grinned at her again. His smile frightened her more now than the hand he had wrapped around her throat. Something about it just sent a shiver down her spine, and made her stomach churn.

"You know, I don't think I will kill you. You've got an interesting spark to you. I like my women with a little spark in them. Now I have a little business that I have to attend to, so I'm going to let you sit here and rethink your answer. And when I get back, I'm sure that you will, in fact, change your mind. If you don't, well… I have other ways of persuading you than just killing you. But I assure you of this my pet," He purred into her ear as his hand left her throat, and cupped the back of her head, bringing it closer to his mouth so that he could whisper in her ear, "you'll be begging me to kill you when I get through with you."

He then abruptly released her and stood. Spinning on his heel, he snapped his fingers, and his two friends followed out the door after him. He closed the door, flashing another smile at her before he disappeared once again into the hallway. Ami realized that she'd been holding her breath, and let the air rush out of her lungs. His words terrified her, and Ami swallowed thickly to keep down the bile that threatened to rise up. Ami released the knot from her palm and immediately went back to work. She knew that she would never agree to calling her father and telling him that to save her, he had to basically give their country over to these terrorists. But she also knew from the gleam in that man's eyes, he too would fulfill his promise to her. And Ami didn't want to know what all he had in plan for her.

She smiled as she felt the knot slowly begin to loosen behind her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to concentrate harder. Her wrists throbbed painfully as she pulled the rope harder against them, fighting with the knot. Slowly and surely, the knot began to loosen, inch by inch until finally she felt the knot release. Letting the rope fall to the floor, she brought her arms around, rubbing her sore wrists tenderly. She then quickly bent forward and began untying the ropes binding her ankles. It took almost no time at all for her to undo those knots, and stand up. Now that she was free from the chair, how was she going to get out of this room? She hadn't thought that far ahead, focusing too much on the ropes. There were probably guards still outside the room, so she couldn't exit that way. And there weren't any windows in the room, so she couldn't leave that way.

Her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized there was no place for her to go. Knotting her hands into fists, she placed her fists on her temples and internally screamed. But she had to remain calm. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The last thing she needed was to panic, and for them to hear her, and put her back in that dreadful chair. Opening her eyes, she looked over at the ventilation system. A light bulb went off in her head and she walked over towards it. She was still in her ball gown and heels, and stopped dead in her tracks when she heard her heels click against the concrete floor.

She froze and looked over her shoulder at the door and waited. Holding her breath, she waited for a few moments, but no one came in. Breathing a sigh of relief, she bent forward and pulled the shoes from her feet. Knowing the long dress could also prove to be problematic, she began ripping at her knees, hoping to shorten the dress. She hated destroying such a beautiful dress that Kaiji's sisters had let her borrow, and she made a mental note to buy another dress for them to replace it. Looking back at the door, she saw that no one had heard her again, and continued towards the vent. It was quite large, and Ami pulled one of the chairs over. Standing on her toes, she reached up and removed one of the little doors.

Placing both hands inside, she pulled herself up and into the vent. She bit her lip as she pulled and scooted her way inside. All of those days at the gym had finally paid off and she smiled in satisfaction. She was just small enough to fit inside comfortably. Sighing in relief, she then began crawling slowly through, hoping to eventually find her way to freedom.


	6. Chapter 6

Creeping slowly through the vent, Ami could hear herself breathing. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her ragged breathing seemed to echo through the metal vent. Trying to control her breathing, she feared that someone would somehow hear her. She couldn't help but to be afraid that she would get caught. She knew it would be only a matter of time when that man would return to her room, and find her gone. Did he say how long he would be gone? Ami couldn't remember. But she knew that any minute she would hear them hollering and screaming, desperate to find her. She was their bargaining chip after all. Without her, they couldn't properly threaten her father. And Ami knew that she would never allow them to use her to do something like that to her father.

She hesitated briefly when the vent began to creak underneath her, the old material groaning at the new pressure it was experiencing. When she heard no response, she continued in her path. She wondered where the end of the vent would lead to. There had to be some sort of system that led it to the outdoor one right? There had to be. Most office buildings, especially the older ones that had these kinds of systems, had a large outdoor unit that connected it all. She mentally crossed her fingers, hoping that she was right.

It was awfully dark, and it took Ami a little bit to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The only light that poured in came from the individual compartments above each room. She made special care to avoid those areas, as they could easily give way to her, and she'd fall straight down. As she made her way above one of the rooms, she could hear the sound of voices coming from below. She looked down through the compartment door and saw a couple of guys sitting around a table, playing what looked like some sort of card game. She figured they were some of the other guys that had brought her here, and she crept steadily across the compartment. She could hear them talking and laughing about something, and paused long enough to hear what they were talking about.

She could see the man who had threatened her earlier, sitting there with his legs propped up on the table. "Nah, I don't think the boss man would mind it too much if I had a little fun with princess in there if she doesn't cooperate." Ami sat back. Boss man? He wasn't the boss? Well if he wasn't, who was and where was he?

"She looks like she'd be fun to have around. I wouldn't mind spending a few minutes alone with her myself." One of the men responded, and Ami swallowed thickly. She decided she no longer wanted to hear what they had to say, and continued in her journey.

The moment she'd dreaded finally came a few moments later, as she rounded a bend in the vent. Further down, from where she'd come from, she could hear the man's voice screaming, his voice echoing through the metal compartment. He hollered at his men for not knowing she'd gone missing, and ordered them to find her. She crawled a little more hurriedly, as she heard him shout to his men that she had to have escaped through the ventilation system. She turned to look over her shoulder as she heard the first shot, piercing the vent a couple of rooms away from where she was. Her eyes widened. They were going to shoot her down.

Not paying attention, she crawled forward, afraid that they would soon reach her, and crawled right over one of the compartments. The little door groaned and gave way under her body. She didn't have time to scream as she fell down to the ground below. Her body slammed down onto the desk below, and she rolled down onto the floor. Pain slammed into her as she grabbed her ribs, where she'd landed on the desk. She bit into her lip as she used the desk to pull herself up, trying to silence her cry's. The pain proved too much, and she slid back to the floor. She was determined that if she couldn't run out of here, she would at least try to hide, so they would at least have a harder time finding her.

Using her legs to push her, she scooted back against desk that she'd fallen on earlier, and scooted down into the leg space underneath it. Biting her tongue again as she reached forward and grabbed a nearby chair, and pulled it in front of her. She knew it wasn't that great of a hiding place, but it was all she had. The room she'd found herself in was much smaller than the other's she'd seen, likely a small private office for someone, and provided little coverage aside from the desk. She pulled her knees up to her chin, and held her ribs with one hand, and her knees with the other.

She could hear them scream at one another, and could hear the occasional gun shot from the person checking the ventilation system. The shots echoed down the hallway, and Ami could practically count down the rooms until they reached hers. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the tops of her knees, trying to steady her breathing as much as she could.

Down the other side of the hall, Ami could hear more men shouting, but they sounded different from the other men. She thought she recognized some of the voices, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Before she could question it though, she heard more gun shots popping off from both ends of the hallway. More screaming came from both sides, and Ami quickly brought her hands up to cover her ears. She had no idea what was going on. It sounded like a battle zone just outside the room she was in, and she didn't dare move a muscle.

The door to her room slammed open, and Ami held her breath as a man quickly rushed in. Gun shots continued to fire in the hallway, and the man stood briefly at the door frame, looking down the opposite side of the hallway. Who was it that had come in? It sounded like an all out war outside, and Ami highly doubted that they would fire on one another. But as she continued to question what in the world was going on, she heard a voice. A voice that brought tears to her eyes and a tidal wave of relief to her.

"Ami! Where are you?" She heard Kaiji's voice screaming from down the hall. He'd come! He'd come for her after all! She was so happy that she let out a little laugh, so happy that he was there now. The man by the door spun around upon hearing her, and made his way towards the desk. She slapped her hand over her mouth as he stormed over, and Ami knew that he knew she was there. The man came forward and yanked the chair away, practically throwing it across the room.

"Boss! I found her!" He shouted. He bent down and grabbed her ankle, pulling her out from the cover of her little shelter. She began screaming and slapping at him as he pulled her fully from underneath the desk. He came around and grabbed her by her hair, pulling her towards the door. Anger hit her as he pulled and yanked at her hair, and she swung her arm around, landing a punch firmly against his crotch. Served him right.

The man groaned in pain and crumbled to the floor, grabbing his crotch. Ami quickly gathered herself and went to stand up, but the pain in her ribs returned, and her eyes hazed over as she too crumbled to the floor not too far from him. She winced as she turned over, holding her side instinctively. The man recovered quicker than she would have expected, and threw himself on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She scratched and clawed at him to the best of her ability, but the pain in her side proved too much. The man smiled triumphantly down at her as he pinned her arms to the ground. But his head did something strange a second later. It disappeared.

The man flew off of her and crashed to the ground next to her, and as Ami quickly looked over, she understood why. Kaiji had come running through the door, and had thrown himself at the man, knocking him off of her. The two rolled about on the floor, fighting one another, as Ami looked on, stunned. She felt a quick breeze at her side, and Subaru quickly ran past her, running to help Kaiji. And it didn't take very long for the two to subdue the man, and Subaru handcuff him. Sora quickly followed into the room, and ran to Ami.

"Ami! Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

She laughed weakly. "Boy am I glad to see you boys."

He gently touched the rope burn that was now quite visible on her wrists. "Glad we got here in time."

Sora smiled at her as she looked up to see Subaru leading the handcuffed man past her, and out the door. Kaiji quickly ran over and joined her and Sora on the ground. Without hesitation, he grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, crushing her against him.

"Oh thank god. Thank god you're alright." He whispered. His warm arms around her made her feel safe again, like she was home, and she hugged him tightly with one arm. She could have sworn she felt him trembling for a moment, but when he realized how he was holding her, he quickly cleared his throat, pushing back gently from her.

He smiled sheepishly at her and went to help her up, but when she squeaked at the pain in her side, he stopped. "Ami, what's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing I'm sure. I hit my ribs on the desk when I fell through the vent."

"You fell through a vent?" Kaiji asked.

Sora laughed. "You were taken hostage, freed yourself, and went through the vent to escape? How freaking cool are you?! Man Ami, you've got some balls!"

"We need to take you to the hospital." Kaiji said, picking her up and carrying her out the door.

"You don't have to carry me, I can walk." She said sheepishly, embarrassed slightly.

Kaiji held her more firmly as they made their way down the hall, through the police that had apparently come in with them earlier. "I'm carrying you so deal with it." Ami smiled slightly at the stubborn sounding tone in his voice, and leaned her head and pressed it into his chest, relieved that it was all over with. For now at least.


	7. Chapter 7

Several hours later, Ami and Kaiji returned to his house. The guys had all accompanied her to the police station, where the police had asked her to come to make her statement about the whole incident. Subaru had told her in the car ride over there that they'd traced her cell phone, which had been in the handbag that she'd taken with her, and that was how they'd managed to find her. The men who had been holding her hostage had destroyed the phone shortly after taking her handbag from her, but the guys had been quick enough to trace it before it had been destroyed. Ami had been right in guessing that they had been using an old, abandoned office building as their hideout. The guys had almost had a hard time finding it, as it was so old that it wasn't on most of the GPS's or maps. But all of the men that had been holding her there had, fortunately, been captured and arrested. They, of course, refused to divulge who it was that they were working for, or who they had planned to place in Ami's father's place.

The guys had of course scolded her about her reckless behavior, but had also expressed their admiration of her bravery. Sora went on about how he'd fallen in love with her all over again, teasingly of course, and Ami had relaxed. She was glad that she was with them again. Ami didn't consider what she'd done bravery at all, as she'd been scared shitless the whole time. She'd only done what she knew was right, but she appreciated their kind words. Kaiji had remained unusually silent during the conversation, and while he would normally tease her or call her an idiot for her actions, he just sat there staring out the window. Ami thought to ask him what was wrong, but didn't get the chance as she was ushered inside.

After giving her statement, Kaiji had taken her straight to the hospital, despite her protests. They'd told her that she'd bruised her ribs pretty heavily, but that she'd luckily not broken anything. Her wrists had also sustained pretty heavy rope burn as well, from her attempts to escape. They'd given her some pain medication to help with her ribs while they healed, and some ointment to rub on her wrists twice a day, and had sent her home.

The car ride home had been awkwardly silent, and Ami couldn't seem to find anything to say. Kaiji had barely spoken a word to her since they'd left the office building, and it made Ami feel uneasy. She'd tried to engage him in conversation a few times, trying to sound as bubbly and happy as she knew she usually was, hoping to get him to tease her, or joke with her about something. But he didn't. He only gave her one worded answers, and kept his focus on the road in front of them. She'd wanted to keep trying, of course, but the rather stern look on Kaiji's face kept her quiet. Ami had lowered her head and had adjusted to look out the window.

The house was abnormally quiet as they walked inside. Kaiji's sisters had decided to go up to visit a friend of theirs, and wouldn't be back for a few days. Kaiji walked past her and began locking the house up behind them, making sure everything was locked and secure. It was night time by the time they'd finally made it back, and Ami was exhausted. She'd been held hostage for over 24 hours, and she hadn't slept at all during that period. But she wasn't quite ready to go to bed, as her nerves were still on edge after everything that day. She bounced towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to make some coffee, want some?" She asked over her shoulder, bending over to grab the coffee grounds from the bottom cabinet.

Kaiji stopped in his tracks in front of the front door as he locked it. "How are you so calm?"

Ami shrugged her shoulders, continuing in pouring the water into the coffee pot. She wasn't calm at all, but she pretended to be as she busied herself in the kitchen. Her hand shook slightly as she pulled the creamer out of the refrigerator, and she hoped Kaiji didn't see. She was afraid that if she didn't act calm in front of him, that she would just break down into tears. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to act after an ordeal like that. Was she supposed to be happy that she'd gotten out? Sad that she'd been through the ordeal in the first place? She wasn't sure, but she knew that she didn't want to make Kaiji worry about her any more than she knew she already had. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around in time for Kaiji to pin her up against the refrigerator, placing both hands up by her head.

"I asked you a question. How the hell are you so calm now?" He demanded, his voice low.

Her eyes widened at his sudden action. "I… I… I don't know."

"You should be freaking out, crying, throwing things, hitting me, something! But instead you're standing here making coffee… You know I just don't get you."

Ami licked her lips nervously. "Why would… why would I hit you? You didn't do anything."

"That's exactly it Ami! I didn't do anything! You just offered yourself up to those men on a silver fucking platter, and I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did! I saw you! You tried to get to me!"

Kaiji shook his head. "But I didn't! I didn't get to you, and I watched them take you away, and I couldn't do a damned thing about it."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me?"

"Kaiji…"

"God, you didn't even fucking hesitate to throw yourself to the sharks!" He continued, "Jesus, you popped up off the ground so quick to volunteer yourself over to them that I bet even they were surprised by it."

Ami felt as her cheeks began to burn as she looked up at Kaiji. "They were holding someone hostage and was going to kill them, what the hell else was I supposed to do? Just sit there and watch?"

Kaiji narrowed his eyes slightly. "You should have waited until I came up with a plan! I'm your bodyguard for god's sake, it's what I'm there for! It's my job!"

Ami felt slightly taken back by his words. Was that really all she was to him? Just some client he had to watch out for and nothing else? Her heart hurt as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She felt tears burn at the back of her eyes, and became angrier by the second as she fought to keep them from coming out.

"My bodyguard huh? I'm just your job?"

Kaiji closed his eyes. "That not what…"

Ami interrupted him quickly before he could finish. "Well you know what? Let me go ahead and apologize for a few things then. I'm sorry that I didn't have the time for you to play strategy. Someone's life was on the line, and I reacted. I'm sorry that it wasn't the way that you wanted, but it got the job done. I'm sorry that you had to come and get me later, but you know, shit happens. I will not, however, apologize for what I did. I wasn't going to just sit there and let them kill everyone, and you know what? I'd do it again if I had to! So now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed now."

Before he could say anything more, Ami ducked down and maneuvered herself from him. Storming up the stairs, she went straight to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. It was only then that she finally let her tears fall.


	8. Chapter 8

She was back in the room, her hands bound behind her back. How had she gotten back here? Where was Kaiji? She was terrified as she looked around the room, much darker and gloomier than she remembered it. She heard the door open in front of her. The man walked in, an evil glint in his eyes as he crossed the room towards her. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He was coming to fast towards her, and she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Ami tried to scream again as he grabbed her face, his smile impish as his teeth seemed to shine in the dim lighting.

"I've come back for you princess." The man purred at her. No. No, this couldn't be happening, Ami thought. Not again. Where were the guys?

His figure seemed to dance in the shadows as he neared her. "Did you miss me?" She desperately continued to look around the room, but now only saw him. His hands reaching for her, trying to touch her again. She didn't want that! Why was he trying to touch her again? What was going on?

"Ami!" She heard someone call in the distance. She tried to look around the room for the voice, but the man brought her attention back to him, dragging her face up to meet with his. Something in his eyes terrified more than anything ever had. She tried to scream again, and whipped her head from side to side, trying to avoid him.

"Ami!" That voice again. It rang out in the dark, and Ami fought as she felt herself being held down. But where was it coming from? Why wasn't it helping her?

"Ami! Wake up! Ami!" Kaiji's voice rang out more clearly.

Ami awoke with a start as Kaiji gently shook her, cold sweat dripping down her face as she abruptly sat up. She jerked her head about, looking around the room. It was her bedroom. She was in her bed at Kaiji's house. It was just a dream? Kaiji was sitting there beside her on the bed, and Ami instinctively backed away, her mind still foggy from sleep. She whimpered quietly as the remembrance from the dream replayed in her mind, keeping her in that dream for another moment. Kaiji slowly came closer to her and took her face in his hands, wiping the tears that were streaming down her face away with his thumbs.

"It's ok. It was just a dream. I'm here now." He whispered softly to her, stroking her cheek gently.

"K-Kaiji?" She asked quietly as her mind finally focused.

He smiled gently at her, nodding his head. "Yeah, it's me. It's ok now. It was just a nightmare."

It was just a nightmare? She'd never had a nightmare like that before. It felt so real, so vivid. How could it have been that real feeling and still be just a dream? Ami felt herself begin to shake as she sat there, trying to calm herself down. Kaiji saw her trembling and quickly gathered her up in his arms before she could protest, pulling her into his lap and cradling her head against his chest. Kaiji's warm scent seemed to help calm her down, and she grabbed a fist full of his shirt in her hands, holding on to him for dear life. He held her like that for a while, gently stroking her hair as he calmed her down. Ami felt her body begin to calm down more, her shaking stopping as she took in a deep breath.

"I… I'm going to go make some tea. I can't sleep now after that." She said slowly, reluctantly tearing herself away from Kaiji as she went to stand.

He nodded, standing up next to her. "I'll go with you. I couldn't sleep myself."

She smiled weakly at him as they left her bedroom. The eerie silence due to the absence of his sisters made the house seem so much larger than it really was. Ami found herself missing his sister's chatter and noise, as the house seemed so much creepier now, especially after that dream. She stepped into the kitchen and grabbed the tea kettle and began to fill it with water as Kaiji sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen, watching her.

"Do you want one?" She asked.

"Yeah sure. Thanks." He replied as she turned the stove on and let the water heat up.

Despite having calmed down since earlier, she found herself still shivering every now and then. She'd had nightmares before, but never to that extent. They'd never been that vivid or real feeling before. And she didn't like it. Sure she'd been a little bit scared when she'd been held hostage, but she never imagined that it would have given her nightmares. Hoping they wouldn't come back, she moved about the kitchen, trying not to show her shivering.

She kept her back to Kaiji as she busied herself with putting away some dishes from the sink that had already been washed. She didn't want him to see her face. It was bad enough that he'd seen her like that after she'd woken up from that dream, but she didn't want him to see her like this. She felt weak and vulnerable; a new feeling for her that she really wished would just go away. But he'd held her so gently when he'd woken her up. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering how his fingers felt as he'd stroked her hair soothingly. Why did he have this effect on her? He clearly didn't think much more of her than just a job, or at the most a childhood friend. So why did the slightest touch from him warm her insides?

The kettle began whistling in front of her, bringing her mind back from la-la land. She blinked a few times as she picked the kettle off and turned the stove back off. The mugs were in the top cabinet, and she went over and stood on her toes and went to reach for the door. As her arm went up, the pain in her ribs returned and she winced, grabbing her side. Kaiji was instantly on his feet by her side.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just reached a little higher than my ribs would have preferred. Would you mind grabbing two mugs from the cabinet up there for me?"

Kaiji nodded and reached up, grabbing the mugs from the cabinet for her. She went back over and grabbed the steaming tea kettle. He set the mugs on the counter next to her, his eyes still full of worry for her as she took them from him with a small smile. She turned her back to him again as she went and grabbed the tea packets from the drawer.

"I'm sorry about earlier." He whispered.

"Earlier?" She asked, pouring the hot water into her and Kaiji's cups.

"For yelling at you like that. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Especially not after everything you'd been through. I'm sorry."

Ami handed him his mug. "Oh… it's ok."

"No it's not, you didn't deserve that. I had just been…"

"Been what?"

He sighed, leaving his mug on the counter in front of him. "Ami, when they took you I was just so bloody scared that I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what they were going to do to you, and that terrified me. You really did go to them for a good reason, I know that. I was just so angry that there wasn't anything I could do. They just took you, and there wasn't shit that I could do about it."

"You were scared?" Ami asked quietly, placing her mug on the counter next to his.

"Yes. I've never been that scared in my entire life. And it's _not _because I'm your bodyguard. That wasn't what I meant earlier."

Ami looked up at him. "It's not?"

"No. I was scared because they were taking the woman I love away from me, and there wasn't anything I could do about it."

Ami's eyes widened at his statement, and she stood in her spot, looking at him. "What… what did you just say?"

"I love you Ami. I'm sorry I'm just now telling you that after all these years, but I've loved you since we were kids."

"You love me as childhood friends?"

Kaiji laughed, shaking his head and rubbing is hand against his face. "No you dense, irritating woman. I'm not talking to you right now as your bodyguard, or as your childhood friend. I'm talking to you as a man talking to a woman. I love you. I, ironically, love how stubborn and irritating you can be sometimes. I love that you put everyone else before yourself, no matter what it costs you. I love that you try to make me not worry about you which just makes me worry about you even more. I love that every morning you sing your favorite karaoke song in the shower so loudly that I can hear it downstairs. I love that you can't go a day without talking to your friends back at college. I love it that when you ask someone if something is wrong, you genuinely give a shit about them. I love how excited you get when we all play a board game, even if you're losing. I love that you can't function in the morning without your cup of coffee. I love that you love my sisters, no matter how annoying they can be. And I love that seeing your smile every morning just completely makes my whole day."

Ami giggled wetly, her heart bubbling in her chest as she looked at him. "You love me?"

"Pretty sure I said that about five hundred times just now, but I'll say it as many times as you want me to. I love you."

"I love you too." She replied quietly, her cheeks burning.

Kaiji's eyes widened at her quiet confession. "You… you do?"

"Yeah. I didn't realize that I was in love with you until recently, but I do. I love you."

He took a step closer to her. "Why?"

"What do you mean why? How is there a 'why' in there?"

"Why do you love me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? I just told you that I loved you too and you're sitting there asking me why?"

"I need to make sure you're not just saying that because I did."

Ami threw her hands in the air. "Oh for the love of god Kaiji! Do you need a list or something?"

He grinned at her, his eyes taunting, as he took another step towards her. "Yeah, that would help."

Ami groaned. "Alright, fine. You make me smile on my worst days when no one else can. Talking to you every night, after your sisters go to bed, is my favorite part of the day. You tease me, and you bully me, but you do it with this smile on your face that somehow just comforts me. In fact, it's when you don't do that, I'm worried that something's wrong. You have this smile that just lights up your face and it makes me smile back. I love that you'll dance with me in the kitchen when we're making dinner, no matter how stupid we may look. I love how you sit there and complain about your sisters, but I know how much you really love them and take the time to help take care of them … There. Satisfied now?"

Kaiji stared at her for a moment, and a smile slowly spread across his face. He came forward towards her, taking the final steps across the kitchen until he reached. Before she could react, he cupped her face in his hands and brought her face to his, crushing his lips against hers. Utter joy rushed through Ami as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with everything that she had. His lips were so soft and warm that Ami felt herself melt in his arms. Kissing him in reality was _way _better than she'd ever imagined it. His kisses were fierce, laced with fire as he tried to show her without words how much he loved her. Her whole body burned as she clung to him, loving the feel of his lips against hers.

She felt him push her back, and followed him, allowing him to press her against the wall. His body pressed her against the wall, leaving no room between them. Chest to chest, hip to hip, they pressed against one another. Kaiji lowered his arms, wrapping them around her waist. He intensified their kiss, letting his hands caress her skin there, leaving her breathless. His touch seemed to ignite some fire in her, and she leaned head back, delirious with the pleasure of him touching her. His lips left hers in that moment, running a trail of hot kisses down her throat, finding a magical place at the base of her throat that caused her to involuntarily moan and clutch onto him. She grabbed his head roughly and brought his lips back to hers, crushing her lips against his again. He nibbled at her lower lip and Ami let out a little sigh, running her fingers through his hair.

They finally broke away from one another, their breathing ragged as they stared into each other's eyes. Kaiji pressed his forehead against hers and smiled teasingly at her. God she loved that smile of his. Her heart thundered in her chest, and Ami felt so happy in that moment that she wasn't sure that any moment would ever be able to top it.

"You do realize I'm not letting you back down now right? You are mine now." Kaiji whispered hoarsely, kissing her nose gently.

She smiled. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours."


	9. Chapter 9

It was the sunlight that woke her. As it poured in through the window, the early morning sun crept into the room and onto her face. Ami groaned and yawned, annoyed at having been woken up. It couldn't be past 8 o'clock, as she heard the birds beginning to wake up themselves, and begin their morning songs. She stretched gingerly, feeling her sore ribs protest angrily at her movement, and she stopped. A warm arm around her waist brought a smile to her face, and she rolled over, seeing Kaiji's sleeping face next to her. She brought her hand up and stroked his face gently, watching him. Her movements hadn't seemed to have awoken him, and she cuddled into him, wanting to stay for at least a few more minutes in his arms. She smiled as she felt his arms tighten slightly around her.

Ami hadn't wanted to go asleep alone after her nightmare, and Kaiji didn't want her waking up alone if she did have another one. They both had finally gotten so tired that they decided they needed to sleep, but Ami was still afraid her nightmare would return, and had been reluctant to attempt sleep again. It hadn't even seemed like a big deal to him when he'd offered to let her sleep in his bed with him, so she would have someone to hold onto so she'd feel safe as she slept. She'd loved the idea, but she was infinitely more embarrassed about it than he appeared. But they'd gone up to Kaiji's room and had just laid there in bed, talking and laughing for a while longer. And kissing. There had been kissing as well, but that was as far as it had gone. Ami appreciated Kaiji's gentlemanly behavior as he cuddled with her, holding her safely in his arms as she finally fell asleep. They'd fallen asleep in each other's arms, and as Ami looked at Kaiji still sleeping next to her, she hoped that it would be how she would wake up from now on.

She tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, sighing contently. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever woken up so happy. Kaiji loved her back, the idea still so new and beautiful in her mind. He'd told her how much he'd loved her, and Ami was sure she'd instantly turned to putty in his hands. He drove her crazy sometimes, to the point where she was tempted to hit him over the head with a skillet, but it only made her love him more. It had to be him, and only him. Only he could drive her that crazy and get away with it. And now he was all hers. The thought brought a blush to her cheeks, and she grinned like a giddy teenager. She wasn't sure how it would go over with everyone else, seeing that he still was technically her bodyguard. But she knew they'd figure something out to make it work. She loved him, and that was all that mattered to her.

Her sudden need for coffee proved to be quite strong, and after lying in his arms for several more moments, she finally began trying to get up. She slowly moved his arm from around her waist, reluctantly moving from his loving embrace. He grumbled a protest sleepily, trying to pull her back to him, but she giggled and managed to maneuver herself away. He quickly fell back asleep as she placed his arm on the bed, a gentle smile touching his face. She placed a tender kiss on his cheek and stood up, walking over to the chair where she'd placed her hoodie the night before, feeling a slight chill from the morning air. Tugging the garment over her shoulders, she tip-toed out of his bedroom, closing the door gently behind her. She was desperate for her morning cup of coffee, and quietly made her way downstairs.

She walked over to the counter, where her medication for her ribs sat, and picked the bottle up. She shook out a few pills and walked around the counter, popping them into her mouth and swallowing as she began filling the coffee pot with water. The smell of coffee quickly filled the air, and Ami couldn't help but drool slightly at the aroma. Pulling the coffee creamer out of the refrigerator, she poured the sweet liquid into her cup, which she'd retrieved from the sink. She liked her coffee sweet, and always poured a generous helping of creamer. The coffee pot brewed and Ami could hear as it came to a stop, squeezing the last bits of coffee into the pot. She grabbed the pot and poured herself her coffee, sniffing the wonderful liquid that she couldn't seem to live without in the mornings. Rounding the counter again, she plopped herself onto the stool by the counter, sipping delicately at her coffee.

She turned and grabbed the TV remote from the counter, and turned the news on. She hoped that they hadn't told the press about what had happened to her, and she just wanted to be sure that they hadn't. She continued to sip politely at her coffee as she watched the news. Her father appeared on the screen, discussing some of his new foreign policies that he was about to enable, and she listened intently. She and her father had found a special bond over her love of politics, and wanted to be sure that she paid special attention to what he said, in case they were to have a conversation about it later. In the background, she could see a few of her father's assistants and ambassadors, listening intently to his speech. Amongst them, she could see that man Haku that she'd met at the ball. She rolled her eyes and sipped at her coffee again. She hoped she wouldn't see him again, as she'd been rather uncomfortable in his presence, but knew that as one of her father's foreign ambassadors, she probably would.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs, and Ami looked up to see Kaiji making his way down the stairs, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He grinned when he made eye contact with her, and paused momentarily to stretch his arms over his head. The t-shirt that he was wearing rose slightly at his movement, showing some of his lower abs. Ami blushed at the sight, and felt a shiver run down her spine. Because of his Judo, he was so muscular and toned that Ami couldn't help but stare at him as he finished stretching. He looked back at her, catching her, and grinned.

She cleared her throat, embarrassed. "I left you a coffee mug out if you wanted some."

"I do. Thanks." He replied, walking into the kitchen. Ami turned her attention back to the news, her father's speech was over, and it had gone back to the regular news. She listened to the weather report for the day as Kaiji came over and sat on the stool next to her. He leaned over and placed a tender kiss against the side of her neck, sending another delicious shiver up her spine.

"Morning." He said, his voice low and still tinted with sleep.

She smiled brightly at him. "Good morning."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her lips, and she could feel his lips smile against hers. He pulled back and looked up into her eyes, still smiling. "I could get used to this."

"Me too." She replied quietly.

He went in to kiss her again when a knock from the front door interrupted them. They both looked up at the door. Ami glanced back at the clock, it read only eight in the morning. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone, and from Kaiji's look, neither was he. He quickly stood up and walked over to the front door, indicating for her to remain in her seat. He quietly made his way to the door, and quickly peered out through the peep-hole.

He looked back at Ami. "It's Katsuragi."

"I wonder what he's doing here so early. Well go ahead and let him in." Ami said, waving her arm and walking towards the door next to Kaiji. Kaiji unlocked all the deadbolts from the front door and opened it.

Katsuragi smiled weakly at the both of them, bags hanging underneath his eyes. "Morning you two. Sorry to bother you guys at this time, I just needed to talk to you about something."

Ami smiled. "Of course, come in. You look exhausted! Would you like some coffee?"

Katsuragi nodded. "Yes please, if you don't mind."

"Of course not. Have a seat." Ami replied, walking into the kitchen to grab another mug when she suddenly remembered her ribs, still sore even after taking her medicine.

She made a face at Kaiji. "Sorry Kaiji, I don't think I'll be able to reach the mugs. Do you mind?"

Kaiji quickly walked towards the kitchen. "No, not at all don't worry about it. Katsuragi, you want creamer in it?"

"Just a little. Thank you." Katsuragi called after Kaiji, sitting on one of the stools next to Ami.

Ami smiled at him. "So what's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Well yes and no I suppose. First, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. Healing."

"That's good. I'm afraid I've come here to tell you two something, but you must keep it to yourselves for now."

Kaiji returned from the kitchen and handed Katsuragi his coffee. "Of course we would. What's up?"

"It's about what's been going on lately with you Ami. I'm afraid that those men who took you hostage haven't talked yet about who their leader really is."

Kaiji scoffed. "We figured they wouldn't."

"We knew they wouldn't, but the police have been investigating each one of them and all of the connections that they have. And well, I've just been informed about the progress of the police's investigation. They've told me that there's a traitor among your father's delegates."

Ami's eyes widened. "A traitor? Who?"

"They're not one hundred percent yet, but they're certain that it had to have been an inside job, as only a handful of people knew that you would be attending that ball that night. They're still investigating and won't tell me who all are suspects and who are not. But they are positive that it is one of your father's delegates who's behind it. Given these circumstances, your life is still in danger Ami."

"What do you mean her life is still in danger?" Kaiji demanded.

"Well until the police are able to arrest whoever has been behind these attacks, there is still the possibility that someone will come after Ami."

Ami took a deep breath in. "What do we need to do then?"

"We will need to move you to a safe house for the time being."

"What about my father?"

"He's already been relocated to a different safe house. Unfortunately, we can't have you both in the same safe house. It's too risky to keep you both in the same place, in case anyone does come."

"Where will I be going then?"

Katsuragi placed his coffee on the table. "You'll be staying at one of the government villas."

Ami glanced over at Kaiji. "Will… will Kaiji be going with me?"

"Of course, he's your bodyguard. He'll be staying with you 24/7 there. Now, you'll both need to go pack a bag, there's a car waiting outside. Take your time though, I'll be waiting outside."

Katsuragi then politely thanked them for the coffee and quickly went outside. Ami and Kaiji sat still for a few moments as they both processed the information. A traitor? How could that be? She thought that all of her father's delegates liked him. Who would do such a thing?

Ami looked over at Kaiji. "Kaiji, will my dad be alright?"

Kaiji swiftly walked over to Ami and wrapped her in his arms, stroking her hair reassuringly. "Yeah, your father's going to be just fine. And so are you. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."


	10. Chapter 10

Ami and Kaiji slowly walked inside the villa, with Katsuragi following up behind them. Ami placed her bag on the floor and looked around, stretching her arms over her head. The journey had been longer than she'd expected, and she was exhausted. They'd spent several hours cooped up in the car, and Ami appreciated the ability to stretch her legs a little. It was nightfall by the time they had arrived there, and as Katsuragi flipped the light switch on, Ami's eyes widened. The villa was absolutely stunning, like something out of a magazine. It appeared to be much larger than any beach house she'd ever stayed at, and Ami quickly started looking around as Kaiji and Katsuragi exchanged a few words.

She padded her way around the villa into each room, admiring the beauty of each. It blew her mind as to how big each room was, and how many there were. She felt like she was staying in a fancy hotel as she passed by each ornately decorated room, poking her head in and flicking the lights on briefly so she could admire each. How many bedrooms could this place have? She counted at least six by the time she started heading back the way she came. As large as this place seemed, it would be easy for her to get lost. Hearing the front door close, she made her way back to the front room. Kaiji smiled at her as he picked up the bag she'd discarded by the front door.

"This place is huge!" She stated as she took her bag from Kaiji's arm.

He smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty big. I've seen it before, but never actually stayed here."

"Which room should we take? I mean this place is so big and there's so many to choose from…"

"We?" Kaiji interrupted, raising an eyebrow and smiling teasingly at her.

She looked at him for a moment before realizing what she'd said, and she felt her face burn. "Oh well… I mean that… uh… well… I don't know what…"

Kaiji took a step forward towards her. "You want to share a room?" Ami frowned at the amusement in his voice and folded her arms across her chest.

"Well now I don't." She sulked as she turned on her heel and stormed away.

He laughed as he called after her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm tired so I'm going to bed! Alone!" She shouted over her shoulder, emphasizing the word 'alone', and walking directly into the first bedroom she found, slamming the door behind her.

Her face was still blushing as she tossed her bag onto the ground, sprawling on top of the bed. She couldn't believe that she'd just basically informed Kaiji they would be sharing a bedroom together. The words had just slipped out of her mouth so easily that she hadn't even realized what she'd implied. Sleeping his arms the previous night had just been so wonderful that she'd just assumed… She grabbed a pillow and slammed it over her face. Why had she just assumed that? She wasn't even sure exactly what they were. Were they dating now? She sincerely hoped so, but neither of them had really talked about it.

She sighed and groaned into the pillow. She felt like such an idiot, hugging the pillow against her face. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else as she felt the pillow being tugged away from her face.

"What are you doing?" She heard Kaiji ask her, his voice still sounding amused.

She groaned. "Go away."

He successfully pulled the pillow from her face, and she could see his smiling face hovered above hers. "No. This is my room too, you know."

Despite herself, she smiled up at him. "Really?"

"You really think I was going to say no to that offer?"

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "You're cocky as usual. And it wasn't an offer…"

He shrugged. "Well, call it what you want, I'm glad you said it. Spared me the embarrassment of having to ask."

She melted a little. "Really?"

"Really. So you're stuck with me now." He teased.

His face still hovered over hers, and Ami felt her heart skip a beat as his smile faded slightly, and his eyes burned with an intensity she hadn't seen in them since the other night. He lowered his face the few inches separating them, and placed his lips on hers, kissing her delicately. She moved her hands up and placed them on his face, allowing him to give her light, tender pecks against her lips. She smiled as he pulled away, smiling shyly down at her. Placing a quick kiss against her nose, he moved away from her, standing next to the bed.

He grabbed his bag from where he'd apparently tossed it when he'd come in, and placed it on the bed, trifling through it. "You might want to go ahead and get unpacked. It's been a long day so I'm sure you're going to want to go to bed soon, and you're not going to want to do all this later."

Ami laughed. "Yeah that's probably right." She sat forward and hoped off the bed, grabbing her bag from the floor and tossing onto the bed next to his.

She began pulling her things from the depths of her bag, and started placing them around the room. Kaiji began doing the same, and the two quietly began putting their things away. Ami grabbed one of the smaller bags and headed to the bathroom, which was attached to the bedroom. She started spreading the few toiletries she'd brought with her across the bathroom. She blushed slightly, realizing that they were also going to be sharing a bathroom with each other. She'd never shared a bathroom with a guy before, let alone a bedroom, and the idea excited her. And at the same time, she felt embarrassed. Kaiji pushed his way into the bathroom behind her, and tossed his few items onto the bathroom counter next to hers. Ami looked back and couldn't help but laugh, seeing his toothbrush stuck in his mouth.

He looked at her and smiled, his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. "What?"

"Nothing. You just look cute with your little toothbrush."

He pulled the toothbrush from his mouth and waved it in front of her, a smile on his face. "Listen here now. There is nothing 'cute' or 'little' about this toothbrush. This is a manly toothbrush, thank you."

Ami giggled and held her hands up, backing out of the bathroom. "Whatever you say. I'm going to change for bed, so stay in there with your manly toothbrush." He laughed as he closed the bathroom door behind him, giving her some privacy.

She dug through her bag and finished placing her clothing in one of the empty drawers in the dresser. She set aside her clothes for bed, and folded all of her other items, placing them neatly in the drawer. Kaiji began humming some unknown tune in the bathroom as he brushed his teeth, and Ami giggled as she tugged on her clothing for bed. A blush settled on her cheeks again as she thought about sharing the bed with Kaiji again. She'd done it before, but she couldn't help but to blush at the whole idea. Relationships weren't exactly her forte, and she had never been in an adult relationship like the one she was now finding herself in. But what kind of a relationship was this? She thought again of how they hadn't really talked about it, and decided to ask him.

"I'm done." She stated as she pulled the covers down on the bed. Behind her, she heard Kaiji kick the bathroom door open, and heard his toothbrush still brushing. She took a deep breath and sat on the bed, folding her legs as she looked into the bathroom, watching him.

"Kaiji?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Kaiji spit into the sink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah sure. What's on your mind?" He rinsed the brush and tossed it onto the counter, then walked into the room with her. Tugging his shirt over his head, the blush that had been on Ami's felt deepened as he walked in front of her towards the dresser to grab another t-shirt. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, admiring the view. Boy, she thought, had all those years of judo paid off for him.

She shook her head and focused. "I just wanted to ask you something… about us…"

He smiled as he walked over towards her, and leaned on the bed in front of her, placing both hands on opposite sides of her. "Ask away then."

She swallowed thickly. "What… what are we exactly? I mean I know that's probably a stupid, silly question to ask, and probably makes me sound like some girl in high school… but I was just curious… What am I to you now?"

The smile on his face broadened. "What are you to me now, huh? Well I'd like to call you my girlfriend, unless you're opposed to it?"

She smiled in return, placing a hand against his cheek. "No, I'm not opposed to it. I'm sorry… I'm just not used to all of this stuff…"

"What do you mean?"

"Relationships… I've never really been in one before, so I'm not sure how to act…"

Kaiji pressed his forehead against hers. "Well then. I'm just going to have to teach you, aren't I?"

"I… I suppose so…" Ami stuttered, diverting her eyes away from him.

Kaiji chuckled and grabbed one of the pillows on the bed, and gently hit her on the head with it. "Come on, don't look like that. Relationships are supposed to be a good thing, you look like it's a death sentence."

Ami smiled and grabbed one of the other pillows and began hitting him with it. "I do not!" The two began hitting one another with pillows, commencing in a pillow fight that would last for an hour until Kaiji finally surrendered. Ami hoped, as they finally settled down to sleep for the night, that they could always be like this together.


	11. Chapter 11

Two weeks later, Ami sat on the back porch, watching the ocean wave's crash onto the shore. She squeezed the hand holding hers, and snuggled back into Kaiji, who was sitting on the lounge chair with her. Kaiji hugged her around her waist, pulling her closer to him. It had been almost two weeks since she'd left Kaiji's house, and nothing had happened. The police were still in the middle of their investigation, but still had no leads. Whoever had been behind all of this had covered their tracks, or that was what Katsuragi had told her the day before.

Kaiji hadn't left her side since they'd arrived. Despite how much she told him otherwise, she knew that he stuck by especially close because he knew how afraid she was. Not really for herself as much as for her father and everyone else. She was afraid that something bad would happen to them, and that she wouldn't be able to do anything for them. Her nightmares had unfortunately come back a week arriving at the villa, so she hadn't gotten much sleep since then. She felt bad for Kaiji, as her nightmares had kept him from getting much sleep as well.

Kaiji stirred behind her. "Come on, let's go inside. It looks like it's going to start raining here soon." He leaned forward as Ami stretched her arms over her head, and slowly made her way inside.

Clouds had started to invade the skies a while ago, interrupting the peaceful blue skies that they had been having since they'd arrived at the villa. Ami had remembered watching the weather report earlier that day on the news, and had hoped that the bad weather would avoid them. But as Ami could hear it begin to thunder, she knew that their good fortune had finally run dry. She went and sat at the kitchen counter as Kaiji made his way inside. He closed the sliding porch door closed and locked it shut. He motioned for her to remain sitting, and went about locking up the villa for the night. Ami folded her arms and placed them up on the counter, leaning against it as she watched the storm clouds dancing overhead outside. The rain came a few short minutes later, and Ami closed her eyes, listening to the rain as hit the villa.

Kaiji walked back into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets as another crack of thunder rumbled outside. "Seems like we made it inside just in time."

Ami smiled and stood up. "I think I'm going to go take a shower real quick, I'll be right back."

Kaiji nodded. "Alright, I'm just going to watch the news for a little bit." Ami turned and headed towards their bathroom.

Initially, Ami had been worried, when they started sharing the bathroom, that they would butt heads with one another over it. The only other time she'd shared a bathroom with someone was her freshman year at college with her roommate. They had butted heads numerous times over having their own private bathroom time and Ami had worried that she and Kaiji would fight over it as well. But she'd been pleasantly surprised over the past two weeks that he didn't fuss over it in the least. Much to her embarrassment at first, whenever she was getting ready in the morning and he needed to take a shower, he would just waltz right in and hop in the shower while she got ready. He'd have a towel around his waist at least, and would toss it at her playfully when he got in, but he really didn't seem to care about being around her in there. And whenever she needed to take a shower, he always made sure to steer clear to give her space.

Ami walked into the bathroom and put her hair up. She'd washed her hair earlier that day, and only wanted to take a warm shower to wash the rest of her. Tying her hair up, turned the water on, letting it warm up before turning the shower on. The sound of the news echoed down the hallway, and Ami smiled as she undressed. She stuck her hand into the jet of water streaming out of the faucet, and nodded as she turned the knob towards the shower setting. It had taken her a few times to get used to the showers at the villa, as they doubled as a tub and a shower at the same time. She was used to the shower at both her and Kaiji's houses, and it had taken her a few times to understand how to switch from the bathtub setting to the shower setting. She stepped into the shower carefully, and pulled the curtain closed. The warm water sprayed onto her, and she stood still for a moment, enjoying the feel of it. She grabbed the soap and started washing herself.

As the storm raged on outside, Ami heard another crack of thunder outside. The rain pounded on the villa outside, and Ami sighed. The weather report had said that it would rain for a few days straight, which meant no more beach time for now. She and Kaiji had spent a good amount of time roaming the beach outside, swimming in the water, walking along the shore. Looks like they wouldn't get to do that now for a few days, if the weather report had been correct. Trying to drown the noise of the storm outside out, she decided to sing. She decided on one of her favorite show tune medley's, and sang to herself as the water continued to splash down on her. She began thinking of other things they could do in the villa, other than watch TV as she sang.

She held up the bar of soap up and began singing into it, as her make-shift microphone. As she tried to belt out the chorus, a crack of thunder shook the house, and the lights quickly shut off. Ami shouted in surprise, and the bar of soap slipped out of her hands, falling down into the tube with a thud. The water continued to spray her as she blindly reached her hand out, trying to find the shower knob in the dark. Her hand found the knob and she was turning the shower off when she heard footsteps running into the bathroom.

"Ami, are you alright?!" Kaiji asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, sorry I didn't mean to shout like that. I was just startled when the lights shut off."

"Yeah, the power seems like it's out for right now, so we're stuck in the dark."

Ami remained hidden behind the curtain, but popped her head from behind it to look at him. "Hey, could you hand me that towel on the counter?"

"Yeah, sure." Kaiji replied, placing the towel into her outstretched hand. Quickly drying herself, she wrapped the towel around herself and pulled the curtain back, surprised that Kaiji was still standing there. She stepped out of the shower and walked past him into the bedroom, trying not to show her embarrassment of his gazes. Even in the darkness, she could see his eyes on her, watching her as she went into the bedroom.

"Why are you still in here?" She asked curiously as he followed after her wordlessly.

Even in the darkness, she could practically see his cheeks flushing red. "D-Don't get the wrong idea or anything… It's just that since the lights are out right now, it would be the perfect time for someone to try to attack you, so I don't think it's a good idea for me to leave you alone."

She turned to look at him as she tossed the clothing she was going to put on, on the bed. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "N-Nothing."

She smiled, and walked over to him, the towel still wrapped around her. "You're not embarrassed are you?"

"L-Like hell I'm embarrassed." Kaiji diverted his eyes away from her, looking at the wall.

She placed her hands on her hips, loving the fact that she could tease him. "It looks like you are sir."

Kaiji grumbled something incoherent, and as Ami stepped forward to ask him what he said, he quickly came forward and pressed his lips to hers in a fierce kiss. His lips were warm and soft against hers, and she quickly became consumed by his kiss. Her eyelids fluttered hazily as she looked up at him when he pulled away. His eyes pierced hers as he looked at her for a moment, then widened as he seemed to realize what he'd done.

"S-sorry! I'll just…uh… I'm sorry… I'll just… I'll wait in the hall while you change… sorry…" He sputtered as he pulled away and started towards the door.

Without thinking, she grabbed at his shirt sleeve. "Wait…"

He turned and looked at her, and even in the darkness she could see the surprised expression on his face. "…Yeah?"

"You… you don't have to leave…" She stammered, looking at him.

Kaiji's eyes widened momentarily, before gazing at her with an intensity he hadn't before. "You … you do realize what you're asking… don't you?..."

Ami licked her lips nervously. "I … I think so …" She wasn't really sure what it was she was asking of him, but for some reason, she really wanted to find out. The look he was giving her sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine, and she suddenly didn't feel so embarrassed.

Kaiji sighed and smiled, shaking his head at her. He stood straight and closed the door. "I don't think you do Ami." He took a step towards her and she looked up into his face.

"Yes I do… I think…"

Kaiji chuckled. "If I stay here now, I'm not going to leave. I'm going to stay in here and make love to you. Do you understand me now?" The words she thought she'd be afraid to hear, were now the words she'd for some reason desperately wanted to hear from him. A shiver of anticipation wracked her body at his words.

"Then stay." She challenged, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. She had no idea why she'd suddenly gotten so confident with him, but as Kaiji's smile broadened, she was glad she had.

With a devilish smile, he backed her into the wall, pressing her firmly against it with his body. He silenced her as he crushed his lips against hers, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss that melted her down to her bones. Lord she didn't think she'd ever get tired of his kisses, and sighed contently into his mouth before he pulled away.

He looked down into her eyes, his expression serious. "You sure about this?"

Ami hesitated for a moment, but quickly smiled and nodded. "I'm sure."

Kaiji brought his lips to hers again, in a more tender kiss. She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him as she felt his arms snake around her waist. Thunder cracked outside as his hands gently came around and began tracing the small of her back. Ami gasped as Kaiji pulled his lips from hers, and let his lips trace down her neck. Her fingers ran through his hair as he pressed her more firmly into the wall, and began to feast on her neck. He alternated from using soft delicate kisses, to more passionate, hungry kisses all along her neck. He found a spot just below her earlobe that caused her to moan helplessly against him, and he traced it with his tongue, nibbling at the lobe just above it.

Lightning lit the room around them as his lips returned to hers, eliciting another helpless cry from her. He pulled their bodies from the wall and towards the bed, and Ami felt as the backs of her legs touch the bed frame. Kaiji pulled his lips away from hers again, and Ami stumbled forward slightly, her lips wanting to follow his.

He smiled down at her, but his expression quickly grew serious as they looked at one another. Ami could hear their breathing, both ragged, as they stared at one another for a moment. Kaiji brought his hand up and grabbed the corner of her towel, and continued to look in her eyes. With one tug, he could easily pull the towel away from her, and reveal her underneath it. But he made no such movement; he continued to look into her eyes, as if silently asking her permission to see her body. She made no protest and he pulled the thin fabric away from her body. Initially feeling embarrassed, heat rushed through her body as his gaze swept over her body, and all embarrassment she felt melted away.

"You're beautiful." He whispered quietly as his eyes finally met hers.

She nibbled at the corner of her mouth. "I want to see you too."

His eyes seemed to glaze over at her confession, but smiled wickedly at her. He simply lifted his arms up, and Ami quickly understood his gesture. She brought her hands up and tugged his shirt from the waistband of his shorts, and slowly lifted the garment over his head, tossing it across the room. She took a moment to appreciate his bare chest, wanting more than anything to touch him. She brought her hands up and began tracing her fingers across his skin. His nostrils seemed to flare slightly as she traced his chest with her fingers, loving the feel of his skin against her hands. His quick intake of air as she reached further down, brushing her hands against his abs, excited her. Another crack of thunder roared outside as she reached to pull his shorts down.

He brought his lips forward and consumed her lips with his, letting out a hungry growl before she could. He pulled her against his bare chest, crushing her breasts against him. Ami gasped at the wonderful feeling of pressing her chest against his. He lifted her up before she could protest, and tossed her onto the bed. Leaning up on her elbows, she watched as he quickly yanked his shorts and undergarments down his legs. He stood there for a moment as her eyes became glued to his crotch. Holy moly, she thought deliriously as she looked at his hardened member, were they supposed to be that big? Her mouth went dry as he quickly joined her on the bed, and pressed her down into the mattress with his body.

His eyes gleamed up at hers as he bent forward and took one of her breasts into his mouth. Her fists quickly grabbed the sheets on either side of her, as Kaiji's mouth drove her crazy. He kissed, he sucked, he licked at her breasts until her eyes were rolling in the back of her head. He kissed the valley in between her breasts and looked up at her. She smiled back, and threw her head back against the bed again as he began to kiss his way down her body. An unfamiliar heat began to grow between her legs, and when his kisses traveled past it and down her legs, she let out a frustrated groan. Kaiji chuckled at her frustration and nibbled at her ankle, sending a shock wave of desire through her body.

"This… uh… this isn't going to hurt… is it?" She asked quietly.

His eyes met hers. "You're a virgin?"

"Yes…" She nodded a little shyly.

He smiled. "Well then I'm just going to have to get you ready for me."

As she went to ask what he meant, he grabbed her hips and drug her down the bed towards him. He nudged her legs apart with his head, and she looked away in embarrassment. No one had ever seen that part of her. She hadn't really even seen that part of herself. But she looked back at him shyly, and saw the desire in his eyes, and he kissed her inner thigh, sending another wave of desire up her body. She went to ask him what he'd meant, but her efforts were instantly halted when he smiled wickedly up at her and touched her most sensitive part with his mouth. She was suddenly glad that they were the only ones there in the villa at that moment, as she cried out at the feel of his mouth against her. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out as his tongue teased her sensitive flesh.

His hands grabbed her hips firmly, holding her against his mouth as he continued to drive her wild. She had no idea what it was he was doing down there, but she didn't want him to ever stop, finding that her hips were moving against his mouth in some sort of dance she wasn't aware she knew. His tongue found a sensitive bud, and Ami felt her eyes roll into the back of her head. Her pleasure was driven to whole new heights as his tongue swirled around the bud, and sucked on it gently. She felt herself being drawn closer and closer to something, something she'd never known before. Below, she heard him moan against her, the sound vibrating against her. She began calling out his name, begging, as she felt herself being pushed over some delicious cliff she'd never experienced before. Her world exploded into a million pieces as she felt such pleasure that she wasn't sure it was real. Wave after wave, she cried out Kaiji's name as she rode out the pleasure, delirious with it. Finally, after a few delicious, magical moments, her body finally calmed, and her mind slowly drifted back down to Earth.

She panted as her eyes began to refocus to see Kaiji lying next to her, propping his head up on his elbow, watching her. He chuckled as she swallowed thickly and looked at him, her mind still foggy.

"What… what was that?" She asked.

He laughed, kissing her nose. "That my dear was an orgasm. Didn't you pay attention to anything in your health classes?"

She swallowed again, smiling up at him. "Had I known that this is what was going to come of it, I would have paid more attention. I liked that very much."

"I'm glad. Let's see if I can make you do it again." He replied, his voice sounding dark and husky against her ear as he moved above her. His voice sent another tingle down her body, and she soon found herself dying to experience that feeling again, and wanted to take Kaiji with her this time. Seeing his body above hers, she felt the sudden desire to touch him, as he had touched her. To drive him as crazy as he'd just done to her. She went to touch him, but he grabbed her wrist and smiled wryly at her when she looked up in confusion at him.

He pressed a kiss to her nose. "You touch me now and I'm not going to last very long. This time is just for you." He positioned himself at her entrance, and paused, looking down into her eyes.

"This might hurt a bit, but I'm going to try my best to be gentle." He said quietly, waiting for her to understand his meaning as she looked up at him, her eyes filled with lust.

She wanted him and she wanted him now. She leaned up and kissed his lips, nodding her head as she brought him down with her, his body covering hers. She felt him probe her entrance and wrapped her legs around his waist. He came forward and kissed her neck as he slowly pressed himself inside of her, pausing whenever she tensed. She bit her lip as he pressed himself fully into her. It stung slightly, the sensation all too new for her, and she whimpered against him. But Kaiji didn't dare move, he held himself completely still until she reached forward and kissed his lips, silently giving him permission to move. His hips slowly began to move against hers, thrusting gently into her as she got used to the feeling. She'd never known such feelings were possible as he kissed her lips, his tongue gently mimicking his actions down below. She felt like he was a part of her now, joined in a way that she'd never known would make her feel so complete, like he was meant to be there all along.

She moaned into his mouth as he quickened his pace, that building tension she'd felt earlier beginning somewhere deep in her belly. Delirious with need and desire, she whimpered again. Her hands began clawing at his back, loving the feel of him inside of her. Kaiji groaned as he pressed his forehead against her, looking deep into her eyes as he continued to thrust.

"I love you." He whispered.

She felt herself getting so close to release that she could taste it, and she smiled up at him. "I love you too."

As she heard Kaiji hoarsely calling out her name, her muscles clenched around him, and she felt her body drifting off into another dimension, as the pleasure slammed into her body again. She cried out again and again as it became so intense that she thought that she would pass out, even more intense and wonderful than it had been earlier. Ami could see Kaiji through her hazy passion. His eyes open, looking at her as his own world collapsed around him. He crushed his lips against hers as they both rode out their climaxes, holding onto each other desperately. An unfamiliar throb came from below, and Ami slowly lifted her eyelids to look up at Kaiji. He panted as he remained above her, watching her as she slowly opened her eyes, pleasure still staining her eyes.

He smiled and collapsed on the bed next to her, both of them laughing as they lay there for a few moments. The sensations had just been so great, so powerful, that both of them didn't know what else to do but to laugh. Kaiji rolled over and grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace as their bodies gradually calmed down. She snuggled into his side and wrapped one arm around his waist as she felt one of his fingers gently rubbing her shoulder. Distantly she could hear as the storm outside raged on, ignorant of the events going on in their bedroom.

She looked up at him. "Well that was pretty damned awesome."

Kaiji laughed again. "Only you would say something like that at a time like this."

She shrugged. "Well, what else am I supposed to say? 'Hey man, thanks for taking my virginity. It was totally rad'?"

"You really are quite the romantic aren't you?" He teased as his finger continued to rub her shoulder. Lightning lit the room again, and she could see his smile.

"I certainly try. Or how about maybe, 'Hey this was fun, we should do it again sometime.' Would that be more appropriate?"

Kaiji rolled them over so that he was above her again, and Ami squeaked in surprise. His smile was wicked once again, and she felt his erection press insistently against her hip. "I can arrange the 'again' part." His lips captured hers again before she could protest, and he proved that they could in fact do it again.


	12. Chapter 12

Several days later, Kaiji and Ami were sitting in their favorite lounge chair on the back porch. They'd spent most of the afternoon in the ocean, and were now relaxed with one another. Ami found that her favorite part of the day now, staying with Kaiji here at the villa, was sitting with one another in the lounge chair, watching as the sun was setting.

She sighed and stretched against him. "What time is it?"

Kaiji pulled his arm up and looked at the watch on his wrist. "Around six o'clock. We should probably get started on dinner here soon if we want to eat."

Ami groaned in protest. "But I'm comfy."

The arms around her waist tightened and Kaiji chuckled. "I am too, but I'm starving, I don't know about you."

"You go inside ahead of me then, I'll be right behind you." She replied, moving so that he could get up. Groaning, he stood up in front of her, stretching his arms above his head.

Ami smiled as she watched him. Despite the fact that her life was still supposedly in danger, she'd been enjoying her time together with him. Since they were now dating, the alone time did some good for them. They hadn't told anyone about their relationship, as Ami had expressed her desire to wait until all of the excitement had died down from everything going on lately. Especially her father. She'd only spoken to him a few times on the phone since they'd arrived, but she wanted to wait to tell him in person about her relationship with Kaiji. Not that he would be opposed to it, however, because she knew how much he liked Kaiji, and had even asked her in previous conversations months ago if she liked him in that way. He'd probably be happy at the idea, but she just wanted to tell him in person about everything. She was pretty sure, however, that Subaru and Katsuragi knew what was going on. At least from the things they would say every now and then when they'd come to check in on them.

Kaiji turned around and stooped down in front of her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You really think I'm going to just leave you out here?"

Ami giggled. "I'll be right behind you. I just want to sit here a few more minutes. Besides, where am I gonna go?"

Kaiji smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Alright fine. But don't stay out here too long. Don't want to eat dinner all by myself." With another quick kiss, Kaiji stood up and shuffled inside, heading towards the kitchen.

Ami leaned back into the lounge chair, taking a deep breath in of the salty ocean air. A smile came to her face as she heard Kaiji in the kitchen, pots and pans clanging together noisily as he stumbled about. He was so used to the kitchen at his house that the kitchen here at the villa was like a whole new world to him, and she often giggled at his attempts of finding all of the kitchenware. He tended to be quite noisy in his nightly treasure hunt to find the proper utensils. Well that, and right now she was pretty sure he just wanted to be noisy to get her to come inside. She giggled and hugged her knees to her chest, closing her eyes. Her nightmares recently had prevented her from getting a decent night's sleep, and she often tried to catch a few minutes of sleep whenever she could. Kaiji would be pretty sore with her if she didn't come in pretty soon, but she suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness, she decided to just take a quick nap. Kaiji would come wake her when he wanted her to come inside with him.

Inside, Kaiji began collecting ingredients for dinner from the refrigerator. There wasn't really much to choose from, as the few groceries they'd gotten when they'd arrived were starting to dwindle. He made a mental note to get one of the guys to bring some groceries for them when they came to visit. He finally settled on some sort of pasta medley, and turned the stove on to let the water boil. He yawned sleepily and looked towards the door. Ami said she'd only take a minute, where had she run off to? He walked over to the door and leaned against the frame, smiling as he saw her dozing quietly in the chair. Shaking his head he turned and walked back into the kitchen, letting her sleep. The nightmare's that Ami had been having recently had kept her, and him, from getting a decent night's sleep for a while. She needed the sleep, and he decided to just wake her when dinner was ready.

Kaiji was walking back into the kitchen when he heard a knock come from the front door. Three synchronized knocks followed, indicating one of the guys was here. Kaiji had been ordered not to open the door for anyone unless a specific knock was given, and upon hearing it, he made his way towards the door. Subaru and Katsuragi stood on the porch, and Kaiji quickly ushered them inside. The weather had improved since that thunderstorm that had knocked the power out, however, as Kaiji looked up at the sky as the guys walked past him, he saw that it could change at any minute as clouds hovered over the villa.

"How's the investigation going?" Kaiji asked.

"That's what we're here to talk to you about… where's Ami?" Subaru replied, glancing around the room.

"She's taking a nap. What's the word?"

Katsuragi stepped forward. "Well, the investigators were able to find an account that had been set up at the World Bank for the men in prison, and they were able to trace it to its origin. It was much higher up than they'd initially suspected. They had at first suspected a few people who were in the lower ranks, but it's much higher up."

"How much higher?"

"It was one of the prime minister's ambassadors. Are you familiar with Haku Takahashi?"

Kaiji sneered. "We've met… And it would also explain why he'd been so interested in Ami at the ball."

Subaru nodded. "Well the investigators were able to dig a little deeper and they found out that he's actually brothers with one of the men we caught. Their parents had been part of radical extremists that would have been highly opposed to the prime minister's new foreign policies; however, they were killed many years ago."

"How was this not discovered when he was appointed? Don't they have background checks?"

"They do, but he changed his official name years prior to being appointed. His brother is very skilled at computer hacking, and was somehow able to erase most of his previous record. He was smart, he'd added a few little things in there to make Haku's record more believable. But one of the computer analysts at the police station managed to catch a few mistakes that he had made, and that was how they were even able to find all of that."

Kaiji nodded. "So have they arrested him yet?"

Subaru and Katsuragi exchanged glances. "No."

"Why the hell not?"

"He's missing. Nobody has seen him for days, which is why we're here. Ami's going to need the extra protection with him still on the loose. It's particularly dangerous now because all of the prime minister's ambassadors know about this villa, as they often vacation here. So Haku knows where this place is."

Kaiji's eyes widened. "We need to get her out of here."

Back outside, Ami's eyes slowly fluttered open. Sleepily, she looked up at the sky, seeing that the clouds were once again hiding the sun. It didn't look like she'd slept long though, as it still looked fairly early in the afternoon. Stretching her legs and arms, she sat up in the lounge chair. She could hear voices coming from inside and assumed that some of the guys had come to check in on them. Yawning, she stood up and cracked her back, smiling slightly as she heard the popping noises reverberating down her spine. She turned to head inside with the others when she felt a hand grab her from behind, and she screamed.


	13. Chapter 13

Ami struggled as she felt herself being dragged off the deck. She choked as an arm quickly went around her throat, squeezing with such an intensity that Ami fought for air. The other arm swiftly came up and clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing her cries. When she continued to struggle, her assailant elbowed her in her ribs, which were still sore from healing. She momentarily went limp from the returned pain, and allowed herself to be dragged another few feet before continuing to fight against her captor. It had all happened so quickly that her mind was still reeling from the shock. After all the time that had passed, she'd been hopeful that all of this danger was gone and done with. But apparently she'd been dead wrong.

Clawing at the arm holding her, she tried to look around to see who had a hold on her. But with another elbow to her side, she once again went limp in his grasp for a moment, rendering her incapable of seeing who it was. She had a suspicion of who it was, but was unable to confirm it as he tightened his grip around her throat, continuing to choke her. Her feet were dragging against the sand as she was pulled down the beach, to where she wasn't sure. But knew she certainly didn't want to find out either.

Though her vision was hazy, she could see Katsuragi and Subaru running at full speed towards them, and Ami instantly felt relief. But where was Kaiji? She didn't see him. Katsuragi and Subaru pulled weapons from their holsters and held them up, pointing them at the assailant behind her. He stopped upon seeing the weapons, but his hold on her didn't falter.

"You're going to put your weapons down now, or I'll kill her right here, right now." The voice behind her hissed. She recognized the voice instantly and struggled against him even harder. Haku.

She'd suspected that it had been him behind this whole mess over the past few days, as she and Kaiji had been relaxing at the villa. She'd seen a rerun of one of her father's press conferences, and had seen him looming around in the background. It had got her thinking back to the day of the ball, and had gone over some of the peculiar behavior he'd displayed. She hadn't noticed it at the time, and had merely brushed it off, but as she'd mulled it over the last few days, it just made since. He'd known exactly who she was, even before she'd introduced herself, and it was well before her father had announced who she was. When all the excitement had happened during the hostage situation, she'd noticed that he hadn't been anywhere nearby. In fact, she hadn't seen him all during that time frame. He'd just disappeared. She felt stupid for not thinking about it sooner, and cried out against the hand clamped over her mouth.

Both men kept their pistols trained on him. "Let her go Haku. There's no way you're going to manage to get out of this situation this time."

Haku chuckled, and moved his hand away from her mouth, reaching down and pulling something from his pants pocket. Her eyes widened as he held a pistol up, and placed it against her temple. Her stomach curled as she closed her eyes, feeling the cold, metallic weapon being pressed against her head.

"Oh I think I will boys. Now drop your weapons, or I'll kill her." He snarled. Subaru and Katsuragi exchanged glances with one another, and gave a collective sigh as they tossed their pistols to the ground. Ami could practically see his smirk from Haku's voice as he pulled the gun away from her head, and aimed it towards the two men. Ami's eyes darted from the gun to the two men standing in front of them. What was Haku doing?

"Where is he?" He growled.

"Where is who?" Subaru asked, looking confused.

"Don't play stupid with me. There's another one of you, the one that's been protecting her the most. Where the hell is he?"

Katsuragi shrugged. "Bathroom probably, never know with that kid."

Haku cocked the pistol, arming it. "Bullshit. Where is he?"

As the words were leaving his mouth, a sudden force jolted Ami forward, and she went flying into the sand. Quickly looking over her shoulder, she saw a blur of two figures tangling with one another, wrestling about in the sand. Ami's heart soared as she realized that it was Kaiji who was fighting with Haku now. The two wrestled with one another, rolling about in the sand as Kaiji tried to get the gun from Haku.

Kaiji had Haku pinned down into the ground, and the two wrestled to take the gun away from the other. The gun dangerously teetered from one to the other. Both Subaru and Katsuragi stood back, holding their pistols up, ready to intervene when they could. But they knew just as well as Ami did, that with them fighting like that, there was nothing that any of them could do.

Ami screamed as the gun went off, kicking up dirt not but a few inches from her. Kaiji instantly looked up at her, hearing her scream, and was momentarily distracted, allowing Haku to land a punch against his temple. Kaiji fell to his side from the blow, rolling the two of them over as Haku rose above him. Haku snatched the gun from the slightly weakened Kaiji and went to take aim. Ami's mind seemed to go blank, and her body acted without her knowledge. Without even thinking, Ami felt as her body flew through the air, slamming into Haku's. The two tumbled onto the ground, knocking the gun from Haku's hands and sending it crashing down out of reach. Subaru and Katsuragi came forward then and grabbed Haku as he went to leap up and retrieve the gun. They hoisted him up and had him handcuffed faster than a blink of an eye.

Subaru smiled down at Ami, who was still lying on the ground. "Nice job."

"We'll go ahead a take this scumbag to the station and have him formally charged. Kaiji, take care of Ami until I send the rest of the guys out here to help take you back home."

Kaiji had recovered and nodded at Katsuragi as the two men drug Haku away. Good riddance, Ami thought. Ami watched as the two led Haku away, and felt as two arms came around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"Jesus, don't scare me like that." Kaiji hissed into her ear.

She smiled, holding onto his arms with her own. "Sorry."

"You really are reckless, you know that right?"

"Sorry." She repeated.

He turned her around and pulled her against his chest. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you outside like that."

"It's not your fault. I'm the one who was too lazy to go inside with you, remember?"

"I still should've known better."

Ami laughed. "There's no way we could've known he was going to just snap like that. Like I don't even think _he_ had a clue what he was doing. I guess he'd just run out of options and didn't know what else _to_ do."

He placed his head on her shoulder. "I thought he shot you."

"What?"

"When the gun went off, I heard you scream and I thought he'd shot you."

She held onto him, holding him more tightly in her arms. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"You better be." He replied teasingly, and Ami relaxed in his arms. Kaiji pulled back and pressed his forehead against hers. The two held themselves still, looking into each other's eyes. Ami sighed and leaned forward, stealing a kiss from Kaiji's lips.

Grinning, he grabbed her hand and tugged it along, heading back towards the villa. "Come on, let's go home."

Ami smiled brightly, squeezing the hand that held hers. "Yeah, let's go home."


End file.
